The Legacy of Phyllis Hyman (Remastered)

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Pittsburgh, Phyllis Hyman was blessed with a magical set of vocal cords and an openhearted creative disposition. Though her uncompromising principles put her at odds with the mainstream music business, she worked consistently for 20 years—from the moment that jazz drummer Norman Connors discovered her in a New York club in 1975 to when she took her life in June 1995. The Legacy of Phyllis Hyman surveys the entire scope of her career, from her first recorded appearance with Connors (“Betcha by Golly, Wow”) through her gilded disco anthems (the timeless “You Know How to Love Me”), to her late career renaissance, when a collaboration with Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff resulted in the heartrending confessions of “Living in Confusion” and “Living All Alone.” Though Hyman bounced around between labels and producers, her stringent musical standards let her avoid the influx of filler that marred the careers of so many of her peers. The collection’s track listing is impressively consistent, from the slow songs to the dance tunes, from the early hits to the hidden gems from her final phase.